US judge blocks Trump administration’s visa limits for social media researchers

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Trump administration from enforcing a policy that could deny visas or deport foreign nationals involved in researching disinformation and hate speech on social media.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found that the policy likely violates the First Amendment by restricting the free speech rights of non-citizen researchers working in the United States. The decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Independent Technology Research.

The coalition argued that, under the guise of protecting free speech, the U.S. State Department had launched a broad campaign targeting researchers and organisations that advocate for stronger online content moderation. Judge Boasberg agreed that the policy appeared to penalise non-citizens for engaging in research and advocacy related to combating misinformation, making them vulnerable to visa denials, exclusion or deportation.

The judge said researchers could reasonably believe their immigration status was at risk simply because of their work in content moderation, rather than any involvement in foreign government censorship. The State Department did not immediately comment on the ruling.

The Trump administration has made the protection of what it views as conservative free speech online a central element of its foreign policy. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on foreign nationals accused of helping to censor Americans, while in December the State Department imposed visa bans on five Europeans, including anti-disinformation advocates and a former European Union commissioner.

Those sanctions followed a decision by European Union regulators to fine Elon Musk’s social media platform X €120 million under the Digital Services Act, legislation aimed at tackling illegal content, hate speech and disinformation. Two of the individuals affected by the visa bans, Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Clare Melford of the Global Disinformation Index, are affiliated with organisations that are members of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, according to the lawsuit.

Source: Reuters